Trying On For Size
by MRMFCB
Summary: Tony has recovered and returns to work. The team gets case with a suspect from Kate's past. Story 3 in the Katharine DiNozzo series. Chapter 5 up!
1. Husband?

Title: Trying On For Size

Genre: Romance

Pairing: Tony/Kate

Series: Story # 3 in the Katharine DiNozzo Series

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or its characters. Or any other brand names you should see throughout the story.

Summary: Tony has recovered from his surgery and goes back to work. The team gets a case with a suspect from Kate's past.

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The elevator doors open to the chime as Kate and Tony step out.

"Tony! You're back," McGee says.

"I sure am Probie! I am so sick of being on leave. I was going crazy at home with all of the Disney characters and Barbie dolls I was forced to play with."

Kate looked at him knowingly. "Tony, you loved staying home with Kit," she looked to McGee, "He memorized three movies and completed a whole Hello Kitty coloring book."

Tim grinned and looked at Tony.

"Oh, Probie, so what! You probably memorized every _Little House on the Prairie _episode when it was on!" Tony said contemptuously.

McGee blushed and went back to work. Kate grinned from her place at her desk.

"Yeah, got it," Gibbs said as he rounded a corner into the bullpen, "Grab your gear. Tony, get the truck. Kate, call Ducky. We got a dead Marine in Norfolk."

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"Kate! DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted as they got out of the NCIS truck.

They both looked at their boss. "Kate, take pictures. Tony, you interview whoever found him. McGee, start the measurements."

"On it," they simultaneously.

Kate went to the back of the truck to get the camera. Walking over to the body, she put the film and set up the camera. She began taking general pictures of the body, starting with the feet. As Kate went to take a picture of the Marine's torso, she recognized the last name on his uniform. Kate looked to the face and gasped. Gibbs looked over at her.

"Kate, what's wrong?"

She stood up straight and looked at Gibbs.

"I know him," Kate said quietly, becoming all teary eyed.

"How?"

"He's…an old friend."

Tony walked over and saw Kate. He moved closer to her.

"Kate," he whispered, "Are you going to be okay?"

She took a breath and wiped away her tears. "Yeah, let's just finish this."

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"Corporal Jackson Walker was found by a civilian employee on her way to the NCIS office at Norfolk. I took the evidence down to Abby. She's processing now. Ducky has the autopsy scheduled for this afternoon," McGee relayed the information to Gibbs.

"Good work, McGee," Gibbs said as he sat down at his desk, "Is Kate okay? Where is she?"

Tony looked up. "In the head. She'll be fine, boss. She probably knew the corporal through her Secret Service work or something."

"I'll be fine, Gibbs." Kate rounded the corner and sat down at her desk. Her nose was red and her eyes were puffy. The male agents gave her a concerned look when Gibbs cell phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs. Be right there, Abbs," he stood up and looked at the team typing on their computers, "All of us. Let's go!"

They got out of their chairs as fast as they could and ran to catch up with Gibbs.

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"Whatcha got for us, Abbs?" Gibbs said as they strode into the lab.

"Okay, so I found his ID in his pocket. I pulled some prints and I'm running them through AFIS now. There were two kinds of hair on his sleeve. And they weren't his. There was a long brown one and a shorter brown one. Can't be our victim's since he was blonde. And shaved almost bald," Abby said quickly, "I'm scanning CODIS as we speak."

Computers beeped franticly. Abby raced over to her workstation to check the matches. The team waited anxiously for her to respond so they could begin working on the leads.

Abby turned around with a worried look on her face. "Can I talk to Kate for a minute?"

They turned to look at Kate and Gibbs said, "Just spit it out, Abby."

"Well, the short brown hairs are a seventy percent match. He has to be a brother. And the fingerprints match to a Special Agent Ryan Walker. I'm going to assume that is who the short hairs belong to, but not the long hairs."

Gibbs looked confused. "What does this have to do with Kate?"

Kate could feel her heart beat faster and her hands clam up.

"He's my…" Kate began quietly. Only Tony heard her mumble.

"The long hair matches Kate," Abby finished.

Kate blurted out, "Ryan Walker was my husband."

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Oh all kinds of twists! I'll try to post the next chapter soon. Maybe, you should…review…perhaps…


	2. Ryan

"Husband?" Gibbs said with a look of disbelief.

Tears streamed down Kate's face as she nodded. "Ryan…was killed in the line of duty. Undercover work. He was supposed to be working for Mikhail Yuri. Yuri was suspected of selling Military weapons to an unknown buyer in Iraq. Ryan was supposed to meet me in the back of the store, transfer the weapons to a truck and tell Yuri someone stole them. He was supposed to describe an Iraqi man to Yuri, but he shot Ryan instead."

"Did you know him from the Secret Service?" Gibbs asked. To Tony, it was starting to sound more like an interrogation rather than a comforting talk.

Kate choked back tears. "NSA. I worked there about three years before I started with the Secret Service. I had trained with the NSA for profiling during college and I just decided to stay once I graduated. They assigned me to Ryan's team. When he was killed, I went over to the Secret Service."

The lab was quiet with the exception of Abby's music playing.

"He's alive, right?" Kate whispered to Abby. Abby nodded and Kate smiled. "He's alive." Tony walked out of the Lab. He was furious.

_She is such a hypocrite! She yelled at me for keeping Kit from her and now this! I don't care if he's dead or not. She was married. And she didn't tell me. _Tony thought as he paced the hall outside of the lab.

"Come on. We have a case to investigate," Gibbs said, back in the lab.

Kate nodded and walked out, followed by McGee and Gibbs. Tony was still pacing in the hall. "Tony? Coming?" She asked.

He looked at her and turned to walk away. The tears built up again and she walked into the elevator without him.

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Kate exited the elevator thinking about Tony.

_I'm going to Tony's, packing my stuff and saying bye to Kit. Too bad I don't have an apartment anymore. I'll ask Abby if I can stay with her for a while._

"I'm going home, boss," Tony said as cheerfully as he could as he brushed quickly past Kate, coming from the stairs. He put his coat on and headed back for the stairs.

"DiNozzo, what are you doing? We have a new case," Gibbs said powerfully.

"I'm taking a personal day," Tony told him through gritted teeth.

Sensing a fight was about to start, Kate jumped in. "We can handle this without him, Gibbs." Gibbs sighed and sat down at his desk. Tony took that chance to leave and started towards the stairs.

"So," Gibbs began, "This screws everything up between you two, doesn't it?" Kate nodded silently. They began working quietly, pulling and reading files.

Minutes later, Gibbs sighed loudly. "Go home, Kate. We may have a suspect, but we can't go after him until I know weather he is dead or not."

Kate didn't argue. She had a long day. She exited the NCIS building quickly and jogged to her car. She stuck the key in the ignition and turned the car on. The early December snowfall left a coat of ice and snow on her windows. As the car heated up, she wiped down the windows and scraped off the ice. Just as she was about to get in, she heard a familiar voice.

"You missed a spot, Katie."

She turned around to see a tall man with brown hair. Her heart began to race and she struggled to catch her breath.

"Ryan. You're…here," she finished her sentence with a smile. He walked toward Kate. And it was only when he leaned down to kiss her that she moved away, feeling uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry. I haven't seen you in so long. We need to talk. I want to explain I had to leave you, Katie. How have you been doing?" Ryan said quietly.

Kate half smiled at him and then said, "Fine."

He nodded. "I've been checking up on you. You're staying with that guy and his kid, right? Or is she yours?"

Kate shook her head. "Kit belongs to Tony." He smiled, relieved that she hadn't completely moved on.

"Look," Kate said, breaking the awkward silence, "I've gotta get going. Um… If you found me once, I'm sure you can find me again. I…I need to take off." Ryan had been gone over four years. And now, he's back, after Kate had moved on. _Perfect timing,_ Kate thought sarcastically. She climbed in her car and drove away.

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"I'm home!" Tony shouted somewhat brightly as he walked though the door. He could hear Kit's little feet coming down the hall. She rounded the corner and leaped in to her father's arms. The older (and heavier) she got, the more Kit through Tony off balance.

"You won't be able to do that in a couple of years," he told her.

She ignored his statement and asked, "Where's mom?"

Kit had taken to calling Kate mom about a month after she moved in. Tony had been happy that she had found a mother figure. He hadn't been quite sure what he was going to do when that time in life came when his daughter would begin needing the few things a teenage girl would need. Kate hadn't adjusted to it quite yet. She wouldn't always answer when Kit called for her.

"She's, uh…" Tony began.

"Right here." Kate walked in not looking at Tony. Kit ran to her and hugged her tight.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Kit asked.

"Not tonight, Kit, I have to go back to work," Kate said, half-truthfully.

"Just a short one?" she begged.

Kate shook her head. "Not tonight, Kit."

Kit sighed and gave Kate another hug. "Tomorrow," she said as she released Kate and ran to the TV. Kate stood up right and did her best to avoid eye contact with Tony. She brushed right past him and into what they used to call their room. She gathered most of her clothes and other necessities and threw them into a bag.

"Where are you staying?" Tony asked appearing in the doorway. His concern was evident in his voice.

"Abby's, I think. Need to ask her still. If not I'll get a hotel or something. Just for now, you know," she said somewhat awkwardly.

He nodded, not knowing what to say next.

"So…you'll be at work tomorrow, right?"

"Um, yeah," she muttered.

"Good, good."

"I'll see ya tomorrow then." Kate walked toward the door. She turned around and said, "You know, he stopped me in the parking lot."

"Who?"

"Ryan."

"Oh," Tony said unsurely.

"I want to work things out between us," Kate said. She had meant between her and Tony. Tony heard it as between her and Ryan.

"Fine," he said bitterly.

Kate left for Abby's feeling very confused and upset.

As soon as she left, Tony went to his closet and opened the door. He knelt down in front of a safe on the floor. He put in the combination (07-17-01, Kit's birthday) and pulled the door open. Files and important papers filled the safe. On top sat a little velvet box. Tony opened the box to see a sleek silver ring with an emerald-cut diamond perched on top. He looked at it longingly; he had planned on giving it to her the next day at dinner. He sighed.

"Tony?"

He turned around to see his brother, Gabe, who had been living with them since he had been 'disowned' by their father months ago. He was working temporarily as a security guard at NCIS and wanted to become an agent. Gibbs, Tony and Gabe were currently trying to work things out.

"Hey," he said quietly. Gabe walked over to see what Tony was doing. Gabe's eyes widened at the sight of the ring.

"Where's Kate? Don't let her see that!" he said somewhat jokingly.

"She's staying at Abby's for a while."

"What?" Gabe asked, puzzled by Kate's sudden moving out. He was just now noticing Kate's missing clothes and other items. Tony explained what had gone on at work. He looked at the ring again and snapped the box shut in frustration. Tony set the box back in the safe and shut the door.

"When were you going to propose?" Gabe asked quietly.

"Tomorrow. That's why I needed you to take Kit somewhere. Don't worry about it now. You can go out tomorrow, if you want. Kit and I will probably just stay here and watch Dumbo or the Lion King or something."

He nodded.

"Sorry 'bout all of this," Gabe said sadly.

Tony just nodded.

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The next chapter will contain what happens once Kate gets to Abby's.


	3. Mom

"Jeez, Kate! Moving in?" Abby said lightheartedly, trying to tone down the seriousness of the current situation.

Kate had taken all of her clothes, jewelry, make up and other items and put them, rather haphazardly, into several duffel bags.

Kate simply nodded at Abby's comment and set her things in the entryway to Abby's apartment.

"Thanks for letting me stay here. I'm gonna start looking for a new apartmen-" Abby cut her off.

"No, just give you and Tony some time. Things will work out. He's just a little upset that you didn't tell him about Ryan. Why didn't you tell us?"

Kate shrugged. "No reason to."

Abby stared at her, trying to get Kate to answer the question. Feeling uncomfortable, Kate moved farther into Abby's apartment. She had been there several times before and knew her way around the place. She plopped herself down on to the black sofa. Abby sat down next to her. The silence was too overbearing. Kate broke down, began crying and told Abby everything.

"I didn't tell you because I wanted a new start. Sometimes I blame myself for Ryan's death. Well, supposed death. I just saw him in the parking lot!"

"What?" Abby was trying to console her but she was getting irritated by the lack of information her best friend was sharing.

Kate told Abby about how Ryan approached her in the NCIS parking lot.

"So, he_ is _alive."

"Yeah," Kate said though her tears, "And I think Tony and I are done. But I don't love Ryan anymore. I love Tony. But he's so upset, he won't listen to me. Maybe you could talk to him..."

"Kate, calm down. _You _should talk to him. He needs _you _to explain things. Tony doesn't need to hear it from me. Go. Go talk to him."

Kate looked up at Abby. "Yeah, yeah. Not now, though. He's too upset. I'm tired. Where can I sleep?"

"The guest bedroom," Abby said as she helped Kate to her feet. Together, they picked up Kate's bags and headed down the hall. As soon as Kate was settled in and ready for bed, she curled up into the bed.

"Remember, Kate, tomorrow you go talk to Tony and try to fix things," Abby said as she walked out of the bedroom.

"Uh-huh," Kate murmured sleepily.

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"Tony, I'm leaving. I don't know when I'll be home. Or even if I will," Gabe said, smiling to his brother. For the past few hours, he had been trying to cheer his big brother up. Losing one of the best things that ever happened to you is not something you rebound from quickly.

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you later," Tony said from his spot on the couch next to Kit. Gabe smiled sadly as he walked out the door.

"Daddy, can we watch a movie?" Kit asked not long after Gabe left.

"Sure, Peanut. Which one?"

"You pick."

Tony smiled slightly as he went to the shelves containing the many movies the DiNozzo family owned. He selected _Grease_, a favorite of Kit's. She knew all the dance moves and would sing along to most songs. He went to the player and put it in.

"Daddy?" he heard from behind him.

"Whatcha need, Peanut?"

"When will mom be home?"

Tony sighed. What was he supposed to say? Kit loved Kate and telling her the truth; that she moved out, would be a big mistake.

"Not sure."

Kit was getting frustrated. "Well, where is she?"

"Kitty, she's at Abby's house," Tony told her quietly.

Kit's eyes widened at the news. "Can we go see Aunt Abby?"

"No, Peanut, not tonight," Tony then added, thinking quick on his feet, "they're having a sleepover."

"Oh!" Kit exclaimed. Tony settled back on the couch. Now all he had to do was figure out how to tell his daughter that her 'mom' wasn't coming home.

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Sorry for the long wait. Life for my beta (**Cold Ember**) and I has been a little hectic.

Could you also give me some ideas on how to continue? I think I know which direction I am going with this but I'd like to hear some ideas from the readers on what they think.


	4. Make It Work

After _Grease _had finished, Tony loaded Kit into his car. She had fallen asleep by the time Frenchie started singing Beauty School Dropout and she didn't even stir when her father had a hard time finding the latch for the seat belt.

Tony drove around for a while, just to clear his head. Finally, at about sometime after midnight, Tony and Kit pulled into Gibbs' driveway.

Just as Tony was pulling Kit out of the car, the outside lights came to life and Gibbs stepped out onto the front porch.

"Hey, Boss. Uh…just came to talk. I need some advice. Hope you weren't sleeping or…"

Gibbs shook his head.

"Nah. Just workin' on the boat. Come on. Get her inside before she gets cold. And where the hell is her coat? There's snow on the ground!"

"Yeah, I know, Boss. Kinda left the house in a hurry," Tony mumbled.

Tony rushed past Gibbs with Kit in his arms and into the house. Gibbs followed close behind.

Once Gibbs shut the door, Tony asked, "Where do you want me to put her?"

Gibbs thought a minute. "Follow me."

He led the way to the second floor, around a corner, past a bathroom and what looked like his bedroom to a closed door. Gibbs took a deep breath before opening it.

Tony had a hard time taking in what he saw. The walls were painted a butter yellow shade. The bedspread had flowers and butterflies in random patterns. Barbies and other random dolls lined the walls. A small child size Marine Corps utility uniform hanging over a chair caught Tony's eye. The name on the front said _Gibbs_.

Once Tony laid Kit on the bed and Gibbs shut the door, Tony said, "Uh, you wanna explain that, Boss?"

Without a word, Gibbs started toward the basement. Once they got to the basement, Gibbs took out his bourbon and a mug. He poured some in the mug and handed it to Tony. Gibbs kept the bottle for himself.

"Kelly," Gibbs said quietly.

"Boss, who's Kelly?" Tony said, after taking a sip from the coffee mug.

Gibbs ran a hand through his hair and looked at Tony.

"Gibbs? Was Kelly your daughter?"

"She still is my daughter!" he yelled at him.

Tony flinched.

Gibbs continued, "She was murdered. So was Shannon."

Then, Gibbs explained everything. Desert Storm, the Marine that Shannon had seen, the car crash, and then going to Mexico to find the bastard that killed his family.

"Just…" Gibbs tried to find the right words to say, "Just don't hold her too close. Give her some freedom. But don't push her away, either. And don't take her for granted."

"Yes, Boss," Tony said.

They both sat in silence for what seemed like forever, just sipping their bourbon.

"Marriage is something you have to work at, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, interrupting the peace, "Are you gonna try to make it work with Kate?"

"Kate and I aren't married, Boss."

"But, you were going to propose soon, right?"

"How did you…? Never mind. Yeah, I was gonna. But now…" Tony didn't finish his sentence.

"You love her, right?"

Tony nodded, not looking at his boss.

"Tell her…"

"She won't listen to me now!" Tony interrupted him.

"Make her listen, DiNozzo! You two are damn good agents, and even better for each other. Make it work. Make Kate listen. Hold her down if you have to. She may have been Secret Service, but, Tony, she's still small. You could break her."

Gibbs and Tony laughed a little.

"Okay, Boss. On it."

Tony ran up the stairs, skipping two or three at a time.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs called.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Wait 'til Kit wakes up. She's tired."

Tony nodded and walked back down the stairs.

"Boss, can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

Tony waited a second and then said, "How come you didn't tell us about Kelly? Or Shannon?"

"For the same reason you didn't tell us about Grace. It's just too painful."

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Phew! Wow, that took me a long time for such a short chapter. This chapter isn't beta-ed so any mistakes are mine. I would've sent it to my beta first, but since you dedicated readers have waited so long for a new chapter, I thought I'd put it up ASAP.

Any ideas for continuing are welcome!!!

Oh, and please review!!!


	5. Which one?

"Hey, Abby. What are you doing?" McGee asked as he walked into the lab.

"Gibbs has me working on finding any info I can on Mikhail Yuri and Ryan Walker. I got some stuff from Kate earlier. She's still at my apartment."

McGee nodded. "How's she holding up?"

"She's taking it pretty hard. She's almost refusing to go see Tony and she's really freakin' out."

Again, McGee nodded. "What do you have so far?"

"Well, Yuri was big into selling military weapons to insurgents overseas. I contacted the director and asked him to help me convince the FBI director into giving me information about Ryan Walker in their protection services. After several persuasion techniques and threats, the FBI director gave in. Supposedly, during an operation, Yuri had threatened Ryan, telling him that he was going hunt down his family and kill them. Then, Yuri shot him, leaving Ryan for dead. Other NSA agents pulled Kate out and let her believe Ryan was dead. The FBI stepped in and placed him in Seattle as Michael Warner. He's been living there since. Until now. Two days ago, the FBI got word of Yuri's arrest in London. He's been on the Most Wanted List since he shot Ryan. The British authorities were going to hold him until Americans could arrive to extradite him to the States, but people working for him heard about it as well and helped him escape. So he was on the run!" Abby yelled dramatically, "Until the British killed him. There was a big gun fight! He's listed as one of the eleven dead."

"Wow," McGee said, "So…now what?"

"Now…" Abby said as she turned off her computer, "I go tell Gibbs and then I go home and tell Kate."

"That's not what I meant. Do you think Tony will take Kate back? Or will Kate go back to Ryan?"

* * *

Okay so I know it's really short and kind of a filler chapter. But I'm working on curing my writer's block and tossing around ideas on how to end this one. Suggestions are welcome. Excuse any mistakes, as this chapter isn't beta-ed.

Oh and reviews are wonderful...hint, hint...


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